Question

Managing Conflict" Please respond to the following:

Your bags are packed for a family vacation to Jamaica, and you leave in three days. There is no way that you can get a refund since you purchased your airfare and hotel through a special offer on a travel website. Your co-worker calls out of work for one week, saying her child has the flu and she can’t come to work because she has no one to watch her child. Your supervisor says you have to cover that co-worker's shift AGAIN for the fourth time in two months. Unfortunately, if you cover the shift you will miss your vacation, and you will lose the money you spent on it. How would you manage this job conflict, and why? Do you: Avoid your supervisor and call out sick Collaborate with your supervisor to come up with a solution Accommodate your supervisor and skip your vacation

Answer 1

In this situation, I would definitely collaborate with my supervisor and come up with a solution. Going on a holiday with my family is also very important for me because it represents a good work-life balance. At the same time, I cannot avoid my supervisor as well because I am a responsible employee and I am committed to my work as well. So I will talk to my supervisor and explain my situation to him and also tell about the non-refundable tickets and bookings made. I will also tell him that I had promised my family this vacation and it would be very difficult to cancel it at the last moment. The supervisor should also know that the same thing has happened 4 times in the last two months and I have been working hard to cover my colleague's shifts. My solution to this situation would be to ask for work from home option where I will work for three days taking care of the emails and call from Jamaica and the colleague who is taking care of her child will have to do the same for two days in that week. She can also work from home and complete the tasks planned. Even though this will affect my vacation, I will have to act responsibly and also help a mother who is taking care of her sick child. At the same time, I need to be with my family as well during the vacation. This should convince my manager and we all three might agree to this and get back to work.